A ride to the past

There has been an exhibition of ancient Egyptian artifacts in Tokyo art gallery for quite some time now and my friends and I have been meaning to see it while it's still around. The exhibition is part of the collection from Louve museum in France, and I guess it would be interesting to go see it while it's easily accessible in Tokyo.

It was supposed to be a fine day, with only moderate clouds. I say it's supposed to be because the day's weather forecast said so, but I guess past experiances have shown me that the weather forecase in this country is not as accurate as you may expect for such a technologically advanced country.

The day seemed to be going well until we had our lunch at a curry-rice shop (a big hit in Japan) and it started to pour down with rain that remineded me of a tropical storm than one I would expect here. We ran across the street into the train station, which would head us to the exhibition getting thoroughly soaked in the process, and got on a train. Since the exhibition is quite a few stops away, we found 3 empty seats and sat down. I lisened as my other two friends chatted, as my eyes gazed outside. The rain didn't seem like it was going to stop, darn that weather forecast! The streaks of water droplets streemed the side of the glass, as more rain poured. It seemed that the storm had only just begun.

"Is that Thai you're speaking?", came a voice from my left. His face was wrinkled with age, and the suit that he was dressed in is a norm for Japanese business men or "salary man". He was maybe in his late forties, early fifties guessing from the grey of his hair. The language that he was speaking, was ofcause Japanese.

"Yes, it is actually", I was supprised. Not many Japanese knew the difference between Thai and say, Chinese, and I'm supprised that this man guessed right. "You have been to Thailand before?", that could only be the answer I thought, if he'd lived in Thailand before he would have known.

"It was a long time ago, I worked in Laos for a few years a long time ago", he said casually. I was supprized that he should start a conversation, especially in the busy train like this one. Japanese are not know to usually be the first to start a conversation with a stranger, and especially not on a busy place like a train in Tokyo. There's something different in this man.

"It's changed a lot now, I guess right?..."

"Um, well I'm not sure,... I haven't been to Laos for a while", actually I couldn't remember the last time I went to Laos, and even in that time I was probably only technically inside Laos's boarder.

"It used to be, you know,..." he made his had like a gun, "...very dangerous, with the military over there..". "It was a long time ago..." There were no disgust, or fear in his eyes when he said it. Instead he just glanced up slightly, a slight bitter sweet smile in his expression. He was remembering, and the memories were good, I could tell.

"You haven't been back there for a visit since then?", I questioned.

"Um..., no...."

It was a little strange really, although he started the conversation he didn't say much or seemed particularly eager to talk.
"How old are you? Um...Twenty something maybe?" he asked,

".... I'm 26"

"Um, yes ... I was working there when I was exactly your age...", still gazing up the smile seemed to widen slightly. Some how I knew that at that moment he wasn't on the train, at least not his soul. His eyes gazed passed the advertisements alighed between the top of the train's window and the ceiling, out of the train... He wasn't fifty, with maybe a wife and kids to worry about weather he was making enough for the family. He wasn't in the hectic rush of life which is Tokyo, working endless hours to keep his company and family afloat. He was 26, maybe still single. He was working in Laos, and those were good times of youth. Difficult time streess with work, joy and happiness, difficulties getting around communicating with people, times of sorrow, loneliness and missing home, enjoying and travelling and going out with his friends, excitement, energy, love ... living life. Life might not always be easy then, but at least he was younger, and had the energy to enjoy life, and to face any problems that he may come to face with. He didn't say that literally, but his eyes told me so. I started to understand now why he first started this conversation with me. Our chatter has brought back to life a good memory in his past, and he needed to confirm it to continue his memory's journey. So much memories would have gushed out, he must have been lost in them. I didn't want to disturb him, so I turned and talked to my friend.

The train stopped, and with the usual chime it's doors slid open. The rain was crashing down hard in the gap between the roof of the station and the train. The large droplets and wind made sure the station was wet. "I'm sorry to have disturbed the conversation with your friend," he told me suddenly.

"Um ... No problem, I smiled", somehow I thought I understood why he needed to start the conversation. He then got up suddenly, and hopped out to the station, half running to avoid getting too wet.

As I gazed out the train's door where he had just ran out, beyond the rain and the station, I think I understood what he must have felt. Maybe 20, 30 years from now I'll be riding on a train somewhere, one day, and I'll turn to the young man sitting next to me as I hear him converse, and ask him "Is that Japanese you're speaking?" And just like that; .... the flood gates would open...